By Anna Sargent of RNZA woman died after being dropped from a hospital stretcher at Whangārei Hospital, a coroner has found. If the ramp was the new configuration, the stretcher would not have tipped into the ambulance bay. Health New Zealand and St John had made a number of changes since Batten's death and accepted the coroner's findings. "Of note, Hato Hone St John have increased training by two days to focus on the safe operation of stretchers as a single-use operator. Hato Hone St John ambulance operations general manager Debra Larsen said Batten's death had a profound impact on everyone involved.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 26, 2026 13:21 UTC